Shloka 29

Devanagari script

स सायक: कर्णभुजप्रमुक्त: शक्राशनिप्रख्यरुचि: शिताग्र:

Transliteration

sa sāyakaḥ karṇabhujapramuktaḥ śakrāśaniprakhyaruciḥ śitāgraḥ

Translation

கர்ணனின் புயத்திலிருந்து விடுபட்ட அந்த அம்பு, இந்திரனின் வஜ்ரம் போல் ஒளிர்ந்தது; அதன் முனை மிகத் தீவிரமும் கூர்மையும் கொண்டது.

Word by Word

सःhe/that (one)

सायकःarrow

कर्ण-भुज-प्रमुक्तःreleased from Karna's arm

शक्र-अशनि-प्रख्य-रुचिःhaving a splendor like Indra's thunderbolt

शित-अग्रःsharp-pointed

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Karṇa

Śakra (Indra)

arrow (sāyaka)

thunderbolt (aśani)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how extraordinary skill and dazzling power in war can be morally ambivalent: it showcases valor and mastery, yet it also serves destruction, reminding readers to weigh prowess against its ethical and human cost.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates a battlefield moment: Karṇa releases an arrow whose brilliance is likened to Indra’s thunderbolt, emphasizing its speed, radiance, and lethal sharpness as it flies toward its target.